Lewis Hamilton voiced his displeasure with Ferrari’s handling of the final qualifying session after he ended up sixth on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The seven‑time champion explained that the Italian team appeared to change its game plan at the last minute, which left him without the aerodynamic benefit known as a tow – a crucial factor on Baku’s long straightaway. During the knockout phase, most top teams, including Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull, opted to run multiple flying laps early in Q3 to maximise their chances of catching a slipstream from a car ahead.
Hamilton, however, was left to complete a solitary run at the very end of the session, after his teammate Charles Leclerc had already taken his turn. Because Hamilton was ahead of Leclerc on the track, there was no car in front of him to provide a tow, and this lack of extra straight‑line speed, he argued, cost him valuable tenths of a second.
Leclerc, on the other hand, benefited from Hamilton’s slipstream when it was his turn to set a lap, and he managed to secure a front‑row start, qualifying second behind the pole‑sitter George Russell. Russell, driving for Mercedes, posted a season‑best half‑second advantage over his nearest rival, underscoring the clear speed advantage the Silver Arrows enjoy on the Baku circuit’s long straight. Reflecting on his own performance, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "It was a pretty bad qualifying once again.
It's not for the lack of trying. Q1 and Q2 were pretty ok.
At least Q1 was pretty decent, Q2 we struggled a little bit more, and then as we went into Q3 they changed the plan. Instead of doing two runs we ended up waiting and then because I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody ahead of me on a tow so that was worth quite a chunk in itself.
But, either way, we couldn't compete with the Mercedes. They are just outright so much quicker on the straights than us. They did a great job." Hamilton’s comments highlight a broader issue that often surfaces in Baku: the importance of track position and slipstreaming on the 2.2‑kilometre main straight. Without a tow, a car’s straight‑line speed can drop by a few tenths, which at the elite level translates into several grid spots.
The British driver also noted that three of the five cars ahead of him – Russell, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – all run Mercedes power units, further widening the performance gap. "I think it's going to be hard to overtake a Mercedes tomorrow," Hamilton added. "Keeping up with a Mercedes engine on the straight will be tough but I'll give it everything I've got." Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, speaking after the session, acknowledged the strategic shift: "We made some significant changes to the set‑up and to our approach, and they paid off today.
George has been very strong since the first lap of FP1, but Charles did a good job to put the car on the front row. On Lewis' side, it was difficult to get a tow because the different run plans made it complicated to synchronise with the other cars. He also brushed the wall on his first lap in Q3, which compromised that attempt, but he recovered well to finish sixth despite not having a tow on his final lap." Leclerc, who celebrated Ferrari’s first front‑row start since the Hungarian Grand Prix, was pleased with his lap time but admitted the gap to Russell was larger than expected: "Honestly, it was quite a good lap. Lewis was three‑four seconds, I think, in front, and I managed to do a good lap at the end.
But when I see the gap to George, maybe the lap wasn't good enough." Despite the short‑term disappointment, the young Monegasque remained optimistic about the race weekend. He highlighted the strong long‑run pace his car demonstrated in practice and suggested that the Ferrari might be more competitive in race conditions than in qualifying: "We'll try, and we'll do our best. Whether that'll be enough, only time will tell. But we know that we have a good race car, more often than not better in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that it will be the case again this weekend." Vasseur added a strategic perspective, noting that tyre degradation at the Baku street circuit is expected to be minimal, which could make track position even more valuable: "Tyre degradation is expected to be very low, which could make track position particularly important.
We are in a position to score good points with both cars, even if Baku is always unpredictable." The broader context of the weekend includes a packed schedule. The Formula 2 Feature Race is set for 7:55 am, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am and the main race at noon. Post‑race analysis and fan interaction segments are slated for the afternoon, all broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and available via the NOW streaming service without a long‑term contract. Fans can look forward to a high‑octane Saturday as the 2026 Formula 1 season continues its thrilling run through the streets of Baku, a venue known for its mix of high‑speed straights and tight, technical sections that often produce unexpected results.
In summary, Hamilton’s frustration stems from a last‑minute alteration in Ferrari’s qualifying strategy that left him without a tow, a factor that proved decisive on Baku’s long straight. While Ferrari secured a front‑row start with Leclerc, the gap to the dominant Mercedes of Russell highlighted the challenges ahead for the British driver. Both teams will now turn their focus to race strategy, tyre management and overtaking opportunities, hoping to maximise points in a weekend that promises both excitement and unpredictability.